The Daily Show, in full The Daily Show with Craig Kilborn (1996–98), The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (1999–2015), and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (2015– ), American satiricaltelevision news show that aired on the cable network Comedy Central from 1996. It was hosted by Craig Kilborn (1996–98); Jon Stewart (1999–2015), during whose tenure the show reached its greatest popularity; and Trevor Noah (2015– ).

Jon Stewart, 2008.

Ethan Miller—Comedy Central/Getty Images

The show debuted in 1996 with former ESPNSportsCenter anchor Craig Kilborn as the host. When he left for The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn on CBS in 1998, comedian Jon Stewart became the lead anchor. Under his guidance, viewership increased dramatically as the show changed direction, becoming especially known for its sharp political commentary and its critique of traditional media. After Stewart left in 2015, South African comedian Trevor Noah became host.

Traditional weeknight comedy shows, notably the Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, often aired for one hour and featured comedy sketches, celebrity interviews, and occasional performances by musical guests or stand-up comics. By contrast, The Daily Show was presented as a half-hour news program such as those broadcast on major networks. The opening monologue was often a summary of the day’s main stories and included sarcastic or satirical punch lines.It was usually followed by a “mockumentary” feature that mixed clever and frequent off-color reporting with unusual or newsworthy topics. The show concluded with an interview segment that typically featured a celebrity or major political figure. Although it was primarily a comedy program, The Daily Show attracted notice as a serious forum for current events. For example, U.S. Sen. John Edwards declared his intention to run for president on the show in 2003, and Pres. Barack Obama appeared on the program several times.

U.S. Pres. Barack Obama being interviewed by Jon Stewart during a taping of The …

Pete Souza—Official White House Photo

The Daily Show helped to launch the careers of several comedians. Notable alumni include Steve Carell, Lewis Black, and Stephen Colbert, who hosted a Daily Show spinoff, The Colbert Report (2005–14), before becoming host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015.

Learn More in these related articles:

in Television in the United States

...obliged to spend several minutes of their first episode back discussing the difficulty of performing comedy under the circumstances of such a profound national tragedy. On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart fought back tears while adding his thoughts to the discussion. After an awkward few weeks, however, the late-night comedies, and American popular culture in...

As the century drew to a close, the cable channel Comedy Central also emerged as a major force in late-night television comedy. The Daily Show, started in 1996 with host Craig Kilborn, was a half-hour satirical news and interview program that aired at 11 pm Eastern Time. The show really started to attract attention, however, after Jon Stewart took over as host in 1999. His comic...

...with Candy (1999–2000), both on the Comedy Central cable network. Colbert worked on several other television projects before joining in 1997 Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, which was hosted by Jon Stewart. For eight years he was a correspondent and writer on the news parody, where he became a fan favourite for such segments as “This Week in...